District Office: 30 Third Avenue, Suite 207 Brooklyn, NY 11217 Tel: (718) 643-6140 Fax: (718) 237-4137 Albany Office: 915 Legislative Office Building Albany, NY 12247 Tel: (518) 455-3451 Fax: (518) 426-6854 E-mail: [email protected] Website: montgomery.nysenate.gov New York State Senator Velmanette Montgomery The 400 Foundation, Inc. honors Senator Montgomery with a Distinguished Leadership Award NEWS FROM STATE SENATOR VELMANETTE MONTGOMERY Fall/Winter 2019 Follow me on social media: @NYStateSenatorVelmanetteMontgomery NewYorkStateSenatorVelmanetteMontgomery SenatorVelmanetteMontgomery MTA New York City Transit Launches ‘Clean Slate’ Redesign of Brooklyn Bus Network The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced a comprehensive redesign of the Brooklyn local and express bus networks, which will redraw the entire borough’s bus routes for the first time. This historic undertaking will use public feedback, multiple sources of data and analysis, and a thorough review of demographics and upcoming develop- ments to create a bus network that reimagines service for 650,000 Brooklyn bus riders. The MTA will collaborate with the Department of Transportation to bring the following improvements to the Brooklyn Bus Network: Expand bus priority Increase the frequency of high capacity buses on major roads Improving bus stop spacing to speed up customers’ commute time Modify bus routes that are low-performing and circuitous Reduce route redundancy and subway competition Improve off-peak service frequency and coverage ABOUT THE BROOKLYN BUS NETWORK: 63 local routes serving approximately 640,000 weekday customers 9 express routes serving approximately 9,000 weekday customers The borough’s local bus ridership has declined 14% between 2016 and 2019 Brooklyn express bus ridership has declined 10% between 2016 and 2019 Bus speeds boroughwide are currently 7.7 mph, a decline of 3% since 2016 For more information, visit new.mta.info/brooklynbusredesign or call 511. Dear Neighbor, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve as your representative in the New York State Senate. Under the leadership of Leader Andrea Stewart- Cousins and the new Senate Majority, the state passed historic laws transforming the lives of mil- lions of New Yorkers. While 2019 ushered in land- mark change to our state from passage of RHA, CCCA, GENDA, CCPA, criminal justice reform and so much more, our work is only beginning. I look forward to our continued partnership on the issues important to our community and our State. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year. Sincerely, Senator Velmanette Montgomery SENATOR MONTGOMERY RECEIVES THE NYS KINCARE COALITION’S 2019 BARBARA M. CLARK KINSHIP CHAMPION AWARD The event also honored kinship caregivers from around the state in- cluding four from New York City: Maria Lemons(posthumously), Doris Williams, Maggie Lee and Gloria E. Woods. The KinCare Coalition is a network of kinship professionals and care- givers, led by the NYS Kincare Navigator. The NYS Kinship Naviga- tor is an information, referral and advocacy program for kinship care- givers in New York State. A kinship caregiver is an individual who is caring for a child that is not biologically their own. There are an esti- mated 179,000 caregivers, 131,000 of whom are grandparents, in NYS. For more information or assistance, visit www.nysnavigator.org. CREDIT UNION BILL S727A Montgomery/A3320 Zebrowski would allow credit un- ions to receive the same economic incentives as banks to operate in underserved communities through the Banking Development District (BDD) program. The BDD program was enacted to incentivize banks to locate branches in communi- ties designated as underserved by the Department of Finan- cial Services. Participating banks are eligible to receive up to $10 million in subsidized deposits from the State of New York to lower financial risk and encourage lending in these com- munities. Many of these areas have few to no banking institu- tions and instead have to rely on alternative, costly and sometimes predatory options to fill in the gaps. There are 355 credit unions in New York, serving over 5 mil- lion members, and they are uniquely positioned to advance the goals of the BDD program. Credit unions are nonprofit, locally owned institutions that answer to their members. They make less risky investments, and earnings are returned to their members through lower interest rates on loans and more favorable rates on savings and retirement accounts. STATEWIDE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT (SCR) REFORM S6427 Montgomery/A8060 Jaffee addresses some very important issues that have persisted with the SCR: Creates a higher standard of evidence for child abuse and neglect findings Allows indicated cases of neglect to be conditionally sealed for purposes of employment after 8 years Provides parents with an opportunity for a fair hearing. Almost 50,000 parents are added to the SCR every year for child neglect. Most of these parents remain on this list for up to 28 years, and are barred from numerous jobs as well as participating in activities at their children’s schools. The vast majority of the jobs that affect parents on the SCR are jobs most often performed by women, often single heads of households, and people of color. DEED THEFT BILL Effective immediately, this law (S1688 Montgomery/A5615 Weinstein) provides greater protections for owners of homes that are in default or foreclosure. It also strengthens laws reg- ulating distressed property "consultants" who provide services to prevent property loss. The "Deed Theft Bill" addresses these issues by: Prohibiting abusive and deceptive behaviors such as pre- tending to be law enforcement or government representa- tives, taking temporary ownership of a deed, or engaging in harassment of the homeowner or the homeowner's family. Eliminating the requirement that a homeowner post a bond in order to file a lawsuit to stop a deed transfer. Prohibiting loan modification consultants from requiring upfront fees for services. Extending the amount of time a homeowner has to re- scind transactions with distressed property consultants from 5 days to 14 days. Providing a clear legal path to restore the title of a proper- ty when there has been a criminal conviction based on fraudulent actions concerning a property transfer. FUNDING FOR FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES Legislation that Senator Montgomery authored regarding Family Support Centers was included in the FY 2019-2020 Budget and would reinvest some of the resources currently used for Persons In Need of Supervision out of home deten- tion and placement to support a model of effective community -based intervention. ADOPTEE RIGHTS BILL The historic Clean Bill of Adoptee Rights (S3419 Montgomery/ A5494 Weprin) restores unrestricted access to original birth certificates for all adult adoptees. Since 1936, access to certi- fied, long-form original birth certificates has been barred with- out a court order. Beginning January 15, 2020, parity will be restored to all New Yorkers seeking access to their family her- itage and medical histories. New York is the tenth state to grant adoptees unrestricted access to birth certificates. Sena- tor Montgomery ex- tends her appreciation to the thousands of adoptees from across the nation and New York State who worked tirelessly for decades to help pass this important legislation. KINSHIP CARE BILL This law (S6405 Montgomery/A8059 Jaffee) encourages the placement of youth in foster care with relatives instead of strangers by making a much-needed amendment to the Fami- ly Court Act. It expands the definition of people who are eligi- ble to petition the court to become foster parents, who are related to the child: Through blood, marriage or adoption; Through a half sibling of the child through blood, mar- riage, or adoption and the person is or are the prospective or appointed relative guardian of the half sibling; or By a positive relationship with the child, including, but not limited to, a stepparent, godparent, neighbor or family friend. This law expands the eligibility and increases placement op- tions for children in Foster Care, making so many more rela- tives eligible to participate in the Kinship Guardianship Assis- tance Payment program (Kin-GAP). Kin-GAP is a new perma- nency option for children in long-term foster care placements with relative caregivers and provides financial support and medical coverage for the child. For more information about this program, visit https://ocfs.ny.gov/kinship/kingap.asp DEED THEFT UPDATE Governor Cuomo called on the NYS Department of Financial Services (DFS) to launch an investigation into deed fraud and deceptive practices targeted at home- owners in Brooklyn. Homeowners who believe they may have been a victim of deed fraud or unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices in regard to the sale or attempted pur- chase of their home may call the Foreclosure Relief Hot- line at: 1-800-342-3736 or visit: https:// www.dfs.ny.gov/consumers/help_for_homeowners Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright and the Brownstoners of Bedford- Stuyvesant, Inc. celebrate the passage of the Deed Theft Bill. Senator Montgomery with Claudia Corrigan D’Arcy, Brenden O'Connell, Annette O’Connell. To learn more about Senator Montgomery’s legislation and bills signed into law, visit montgomery.nysenate.gov Senator Montgomery with honoree Gloria E. Woods and her family. The event was hosted by Rev. Clinton M. Miller and Brown Memorial Baptist Church and honored women leaders who have helped move our state forward. Honorees included Attorney General Letitia A. James, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright, Assemblywoman Inez Dickens, Reverend Dr. Que English, Co-Pastor of Bronx Christian Fellowship, Reverend Dr. Elaine M. Flake, Co-Pastor of Greater Allen AME Cathedral and Divinah "Dee" Bailey, Founder of Watchful Eye. The 400 Foundation is a five-borough, faith-based campaign, estab- lished and led by pastors and clergy across New York City whose con- gregants and communities continue to suffer from 400 years of injustice. The foundation is continuing the vision set forth by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for economic justice. For more info, visit http://weare400.com Senator Montgomery, Senator Persaud, Senator Savino, Assemblywoman Jaffee, Assemblywoman Wright host “Examining the State of our Youth: New York State Foster Care” Roundtable to discuss SCR and issues related to the child welfare system.